Many people love eating soft-serve ice cream on a hot summer day, but for some it causes the discomfort of diarrhea. Soft-serve ice cream is primarily made from milk, which can cause diarrhea in those with a milk allergy or lactose intolerance. Some soft-serve ice cream also might contain other food allergens, such as soy, wheat, eggs or nuts. Avoid eating soft-serve ice cream if you develop diarrhea until you can be seen by your health care provider.
Milk Allergy
A milk allergy is caused by a malfunction that occurs in your immune system when, instead of your body recognizing that the proteins in milk are harmless, it reacts to them as if they are dangerous. Inflammation in the digestive system from various chemicals leads to diarrhea. A milk allergy is a consideration if you develop diarrhea from eating soft-serve ice cream, but besides diarrhea, it also can affect other areas of your body, such as your lungs, sinuses, cardiovascular system and skin, causing inflammation, swelling and irritation, such as asthma, nasal congestion and hives. A milk allergy is more common in young children and could cause anaphylactic shock, a potentially deadly situation.
Lactose Intolerance
Lactose is a sugar that is found in milk and dairy products, including some soft-serve ice cream, and can trigger lactose-intolerance symptoms such as diarrhea. When you eat soft-serve ice cream, your small intestines fail to create enough lactase, an enzyme that's needed to digest the lactose. If you're body can't digest the lactose, it doesn't get absorbed and remains in your gut. Bacteria forms to digest the lactose and leads to inflammation in the digestive system, causing diarrhea, bloating, gas, foul-smelling stools and nausea.
Other Allergens
Not all soft-serve ice cream contains the same ingredients, and some can contain other food allergens that can affect you if you have those particular allergies. Before you ingest the ice cream, you need to ask the server for a list of ingredients and an allergy warning statement. Some soft-serve is made with fruit such as peaches, strawberries and kiwi, which can trigger a skin reaction called allergic contact dermatitis. Any allergen that you ingest can cause loose and watery stools because your body is attempting to get rid of the potentially dangerous substance and will pass it as fast as possible.
Treatment
Treatment will be determined by your doctor. Lactose intolerance is treated by taking a lactase enzyme to prevent symptoms from developing. Milk and other food allergies are treated only by avoiding consumption of the allergen.
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